1999 (4/5)

It was the winter of 1999, and snow had fallen in the suburbs—a rare sight in Split. I was inside when I saw my aunts and uncle making a snowman in front of the house. I rushed outside to join them and enjoyed the snow, which had covered the mountain to the north and the hills surrounding the area. By the next day, the snow had melted, as it usually did. 

My parents arranged for me to spend the night with my father’s parents, who lived in Split. My parents, siblings, and I piled into an old Volkswagen and drove into the city. I remember the distinct smell of the car—so 90s—and the exhaust fumes of other cars on the road. The dashboard and speedometer, lit with colorful diodes, were pleasant to look at. My parents sat in the front seats, and I was in the middle of the back seat, with my brother and sister in their child seats. 

As we cruised towards the city, I noticed the city was much different from the suburbs, with tall buildings instead of houses. It felt like entering a big city for me. We arrived at my other grandparents’ apartment, which was on a higher floor in a building. They greeted us warmly, and we ate something together. 

I’m not sure if I forgot about the sleepover or if my parents planned it this way, but as soon as I saw them leave in the Volkswagen, I started crying. I felt abandoned, like I would never see them again. Eventually, I calmed down, and my grandmother, a kind lady from Samobor near Zagreb, comforted me. She had a lovely accent and always sounded so polite. She told me to draw something, then added that I’d have to do my homework once I started school. I was excited about going to school. 

The next morning, my grandfather, who worked at the bakery, had left fresh donuts on the table. I loved those donuts from the 90s—they were always so good. My grandmother made porridge and added slices of chocolate to it. She and my grandfather were amazing cooks, especially when it came to food. Later, my parents arrived and drove me back to the suburbs 

In kindergarten, we spent most of our time indoors due to the lack of space for outdoor play. On rare occasions, we were allowed to go outside and play with the ground. It wasn’t a special area filled with dirt, but the teachers would give us small plastic shovels, and we would use them to create little piles of earth. Occasionally, we would also go on field trips.